Blue Ribbon Gardener
by Kelly Klingman, Master Gardener
Are you a Blue Ribbon gardener?
You may be surprised to find out you are!
And it may seem crazy to start talking about it in early August, but it’s time to start thinking about what you’re growing, preserving or creating that just might win you a blue ribbon at the fair this year.
County and State fairs have a long tradition of showcasing the growing, raising, preserving and creating of an array of entries unique to their locality. Food, flowers, animals, and crafts; you’ll find that is a category for everyone, whether you are a youth or an adult, at our Fair.
Now you may think, “My roses are never as nice as my neighbors”, or, “My tomatoes didn’t look as beautiful as those heirloom varieties my friend has.” But that’s okay! You are not judged against your neighbor or your friend! Judging at the Fair uses the Danish system. That means each entry is judged on its own merit against a pre-set standard. Your tomato is only competing against itself, not all the tomatoes entered.
There is a $10 processing fee for each category you enter, but entrants receive one fair admission ticket for each category they enter. First place blue ribbons win
$4-$5 and second place red ribbons win $2-$3, depending on the category. Third place still receives a white ribbon. You can enter ahead of time with online entries, or do a ‘day of’ walk-in, which may be easier for things like produce or flowers.
So what can you enter? The real question is, “what can’t you enter!” There are so many categories and so many choices for both youth and adults.
Under ‘Produce’, not only are there fruit, vegetable and grain categories, but also garden creatures, scarecrows and a “largest.”
In Floriculture, there are specific flower variety categories, as well as bouquets, potted plants and more. In Floriculture, two separate entry weeks are available. Due to the delicate nature of cut flowers, two separate weeks of competition have been created for this category. So if your rose is not quite ready for the first half of the fair, enter it in the second half.
In Yakima, we have such an abundance of produce available not only to grow, but to use in preserving and baking. Walking through the exhibits of beautiful jars of preserves and incredible baked goods will make you hungry! And that’s not all. Adults can also enter ‘gluten free’ and ‘Mason jar mixes’ categories.
Washington is the apple capital of the US, so of course we have an apple pie baking competition. It is judged slightly differently from all the other categories (taste, texture, appearance, originality). It comes with a $500 prize for adults and $250 for youth, and the finalists are judged by Food Network’s own Sandra Lee.
Maybe you aren’t a gardener, or into canning or baking. There are many other ways that you or the kids can take part in the Fair. Are you the family photographer? Or maybe you just have a photo you are particularly proud of? There are a number of Photography divisions to enter such as scenic, children, animals, human interest and more. There is even a Yakima Funniest Pet category!
Or are you more of a fine arts person? Categories such as painting, sculpture, pen and ink drawing, print making, stained glass, metal, wood, and even more are available.
We have all seen the incredible quilts at the Fair. These are entered under the ‘Threads’ division. That includes all kinds of threads, including crochet, knitting, felting, needlework, sewing and even more
The Open Crafts category is for all other crafts that don’t fall in the ‘Threads’ category. This can include decorative rocks, beading, up-cycled clothing, and card making. There is a Youth Open Crafts category which includes all the above, and also a duct tape and Lego pre-build division.
What do you need to know about entering the Central Washington State Fair? First and foremost are the dates to submit your entry. You also need to note when you need to pick up your entries after the fair, along with ribbons. Winners are mailed a check later in the fall.
Most importantly, be aware of all the rules and requirements for each category and division. All this can be found at the ‘Competitions and Contest’ site on the State Fair Park home page under the’ Fair’ heading. It appears that the site has been updated, making registering online, and answering all your questions, even easier.
If you have already been participating in these great, time honored fair traditions, fabulous! If you’ve never tried before, this is a great year to start! You have so many options, and we did not even talk about the honey, bees, 4-H, livestock and animal exhibits!
As they say at the fairgrounds, if you make it, they take it! If you grow it, they show it! And if you raise it, they praise it!
There is a category for something you enjoy, check it out and be a part of our Central Washington State Fair!